Oyster City
by Gryphon124
Summary: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Hatter Found There:  Short fic. Follows Hatter as he takes the plunge into Alice's world to find her. Set during the end of the miniseries and a bit after.  Chapter 3 & 4 are up!
1. The Looking Glass

**Disclaimer:** I own neither the characters nor the setting.

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**Oyster City: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Hatter Found There.**

Hatter stood speechless as Alice was pulled up to the Mirror and positioned in front of it. His mouth moved a few times but no sounds came out as he simply watched helplessly. And then she was gone. Several seconds passed as he just stared and then, as if with a great effort, which in truth it was, he turned on his heel and started towards the doors. _Why'd I tell her to go? Foolish thing that was. Course she is Jack's girl after all. 'Cept she didn't stay for him either…._

As he reached the doors, Hatter did an abrupt face and started walking back towards the Looking-Glass and Jack Heart, unconsciously twirling his hat in his fingers. Jack saw him coming and turned to face him, his hands calmly folded behind his back and his face solemn. _Or was it simply passive? Does he know something? Now you're just being paranoid Hatter...  
_

"Er, Jack….Prince Jack, Prince Heart, Pr-"

"Yes Hatter?" There almost seemed to be a glimmer of mischief in the Prince's eye, with a dash of envy if one was looking.

"I was just wonderin', you an' Alice….."

"Hatter, how long was Alice in Wonderland with you?"

"What? With me specifically, or in generically?" Hatter was a bit confused by where this might be headed.

"Either, both. Just how long was she here?"

"Five days-ish, give or take a sunrise."

"And how long do you think she and I were dating on the other side?" Hatter fought down a surge of jealousy and the urge to give the Prince his right hook. This did not go unnoticed by Jack, who unfolded his hands and held them up in front of him in a gesture of peace. "Here me out Hatter, how long?"

"Months?"

"Several in fact, yes. Yet in all that time, I don't think we ever connected the way you and she have in just a few days. She told me earlier that she'd changed. I think the reality is that you simply brought the true her to the surface. She turned me down by the way, but I don't think she'd give you the same answer."

Hatter sighed and stared at the mirror. "Sorry mate, you're bit off there. She already did."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Did she? Strange, I thought I heard her offer and you refuse….twice." Hatter stared down to his left as he thought for second before looking back at the prince. He opened his mouth, closed it slightly, paused and then pointed towards the Looking-Glass. "Er, Mind of I use your Mirror?"

Jack smiled halfheartedly and waved a hand towards the podium where the Looking-Glass stood. Hatter barely waited, striding over to it and bounding up the steps by missing them completely. "Don't forget about the Time cha-" Jack stopped in mid-sentence as Hatter walked into his reflection and vanished. "Good luck, to both of you." Shaking his head, Jack turned back to the remaining Oysters who had to be sent through. 

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The tunnel swirled around him as Hatter fell upwards. It was a disconcerting feeling - As if one were standing still, moving forwards and moving back all at the same time. He wondered briefly what would happen if the Looking-Glass shut down while he was in the tunnel and then decided that that was a dangerous train of thought and pushed it away.

Then, despite the intermediary time spent in the tunnel, Hatter found himself exiting the other end with the same momentum and in the same position with which he'd entered. The other side was dark and had a not so pleasant scent. As he stepped forward, he stumbled over something on the ground before him. He caught himself and hopped over it. Righting his hat to keep it from tipping off, he glanced down at the ground behind him. "Alice?" Hatter crouched down by her side, brushing a lock of hair from her face. She was alive, but unconscious. He moved to shake her awake, and then stopped himself. What if Jack was wrong? Or worse, what if he was right? Hatter had been someone in Wonderland, but he was a nobody here. Not like Jack. "Since when did I get self-depreciatin'?" Pushing the feeling aside, he gripped her by the shoulders and gently rocked her back and forth. Alice took a sharp intake of breath and groaned slightly. Hatter stopped and took his hands away. He knew nothing about Oyster Anatomy but it sounded like she'd gotten hurt when she landed.

"Right, Plan B then." Hatter stood up and looked around his surroundings. The building looked a great deal like the under-city, disused and unfinished. He walked quickly towards what he thought was the exit, found it was a dead end and tried again. This time he found himself outside in an alley, tall buildings to either side. "That's a lot of ants…." Hatter stared at the cars passing by the mouth of the alley. He jogged down and out onto the street. The city he found himself in seemed at once more foreign and more insane than anything in Wonderland. "Oy, not quite what I expected." It was dark and yet at the same time brilliantly lit. There weren't many people out - Hatter didn't know what time it was, but he was fairly sure it was late. He glanced down the street searching for whatever passed as a Spade in this world. There were flashing blue lights some distance down the street and that seemed a good place to start.

He started down the street at a brisk pace, gaining lingering stares from the few people out at this time of night. It was rather apparent that his choice of clothing was not 'normal' here. He pulled his hat off his head and held it behind his back in an attempt to not stand out as much as he already did. Beside the Ant with the flashing blue lights, two men wearing dark uniforms with funny hats and light sticks were questioning a man who looked not dissimilar to Ratty. "Must be a lot o' Ratties in this city." As he approached the Suits, they turned his way, shining their light sticks on Hatter.

"Need some help?" The nearest called, raising the light stick higher. Hatter held his free hand up in front of his face to help block some of the light. "Look, there's been an accident, back thataways. There's a girl in that building there – I think she's 'urt." One of Suits motioned the rat-alike to move along.

"Lead the way."

Hatter quickly led them back the way he'd come, hoping Alice was still alright. He stopped just outside and pointed in. "Through there, in front o' the big mirror." One of the suits moved into the room while the other paused outside with Hatter. "How'd you find her? What's your name?" He had taken out a small black notepad and pen. Somewhere inside Hatter could here the other one calling out.

"Err, I'm a worker, construction tha' is. Just 'appened by and saw her enter. "

"And your name?" The Suit prompted.

"Hatter."

"Hatter?" Now he looked skeptical.

"Yeah, uh…" He had to think quickly. "David Hatter." He'd had a pet dove-turtle with that name once.

The Suit nodded as if the name was important and wrote it down on his pad. "You'll be needed for questioning." Hatter fought down a slight surge of panic. He doubted being interrogated would go well for anyone. From within the building the other Suit called out, "She's over here!" The one with Hatter held up a hand to him in a gesture to stay and then hurried inside; speaking into a black box which Hatter assumed was some kind of communication device. "We need an Ambulance at 42….." The rest faded from hearing. He debated staying for a moment before scrunching up his nose and hurrying away from the building – _I'll be back Alice, I promise. But first I gotta blend in a bit more, yea? _As he walked down the sidewalk, Hatter suddenly became aware that he was still holding the coat she'd given back; he'd placed his hat in the same hand without even noticing. 

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He tried to remember exactly what he knew about Alice's world, and found that much of it had decided to flee his mind at this particular moment. "Right…first things first…need a place to stay." Hatter looked around trying to find a Laylow or a Bed & Room. For several blocks he saw nothing that resembled either. Finally he came across a building across the street from a park which called itself a Hostel. _Right, that's the oyster version of Laylow_. As he started towards the door, he stopped. "Salted Fish and Pig's Wings! I'll need oyster money." He, like most from Wonderland, found the pieces of paper which oysters traded to one another for goods to be a very curious oddity. It was really quite silly when you thought about it – the paper wasn't actually worth anything after all. Much better to trade in kind – goods of equal value or Tea. Course Tea was likely going to lose its value as an economic staple without the Hearts Casino running anymore.

Shaking himself out of his reverie and thankful that it was so late there was no one around to pay him any mind, he moved over to one side of the Entrance and stopped to think. _Where am I gonna get Oyster money? What do you need to do to earn it? Wait! Ratty!_ Hatter hurriedly searched his pockets, triumphantly pulling out a crumpled 20 a few moments later. Ratty had turned it over to him when he'd first come to Hatter about Alice, but that had been almost a week ago and Hatter had completely forgot about it. He wasn't sure how much it was worth – how far did 20 get you? 20 nights at a Laylow? 20 loaves of bread? 20 cabbages? It wasn't a very precise piece of paper. _Only one way to find out._ Hatter palmed the bill and skipped up the steps and through the door to the Hostel.

The room beyond was long but small, with what looked to be an eatery at one end. A counter stood nearby the door with a weary and bored looking young man seated behind it. His head perked up a bit at Hatters Entrance, and Hatter could practically feel the man's eyes looking him up and down. "You here for a bed?"

"Yep, just looking for a place to stay." Hatter moved over to the counter trying not to seem out of place.

"Alright, it's going to be 15 bucks and I'm going to need to see some ID." Hatter frowned, was that the name of the paper, a buck? He could've sworn it was called something else….A dalor or something. Regardless, it was the only paper money he had, so he would have to chance it. He placed the piece of paper on the counter and slid it towards the man. "'ow about you keep the 'ole thing and we don't worry about any IDs?"

The man behind the counter rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "What the hell, I still need your name though." He took the bill and waited.

"Hatt- Err, that is, David Hatter." The other man wrote it down and opened a drawer and pulled out a key which he handed across to Hatter. "Okay, it's the first room on the right when you reach the third can take any empty bed. Stairs are through there."

"Right, Thanks." Hatter followed the directions and found himself in a small room overlooking the street. There were three sets of bunk beds lining the walls, and he found that four beds were already taken. Dropping down on one near the window, Hatter set his hat onto the mattress beside him as he stared upwards through the dusty glass into the night sky above. Moonlight filtered down on his face and he stared at the full form of the moon some time as he tried to recall the details associated with it. _Full moon is 5 times give or take, Waxing slows, waning speeds. New moon is inverse of full…. _Hatter drifted off to sleep still trying to remember the Lunacy Equation and its affect on the Looking-Glass.


	2. The Garden

**AN: ** I'm going to be merging the first and second chapters at some point, so all other chapters will shift. Just putting the warning out there now, so they'll likely be an update where there are 2 chapters instead of 1 (and likely a longer pause between uploads because of it). Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcomed.

**_Update: _**_Merging and shift complete!_

**Disclaimer:** The characters belong to Lewis Carroll, the back-story to the good folks at the Scifi Channel, and the story told herein to the author.

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Hatter found himself alone in the room when he awoke in the morning. He couldn't see the sun beyond the buildings outside the window, but it looked like morning had begun a couple hours ago.

Swinging his legs to the floor, Hatter pushed himself off the bed and stretched. It had actually been rather comfortable, certainly more so than the couple days he'd spent on the ground in the Kingdom of the Knights….though those were comfortable in a whole different way. A sharp pang cut into his chest as he remembered, thinking of his time with Alice and even Charlie. One was an Oyster and the other was several miles past mad in Hatter's opinion, but both had become good friends whom he would trust without hesitation. And he hoped that Alice had become something more, he certainly felt that she had; emotions were weaker in his kind due to the chaotic stimuli that existed in Wonderland, yet right now he felt an aching to be by her side stronger than anything Tea had ever given him.

Hatter grabbed his hat and Alice's coat, though he really didn't know what to do with the latter – it was unlikely that men in this world walked around with spare lady's coats all day. As it was, he folded it up into as small a bundle as he could and tucked it under one arm as he flipped his hat onto his head and walked out into the hall. There were a couple oysters passing down the corridor as he came out and neither of them gave him more than a cursory glance. He followed them down the stairs and into the lobby/eatery on the main floor. A different person was behind the counter now, a young woman busy speaking to several new guests. Hatter's stomach growled at the scent of bread from the eatery – which seemed to be made in rings for some reason. But he had no oyster money left – If he was going to eat, let alone fit in this world, he was going to need to earn 'bucks'. The question was how….

The woman at the counter had finished with the new arrivals and glanced his way, giving him an obligatory smile. No better person to ask than a Bedkeeper. He slipped over to the counter, tapping it slightly and putting on the smartest smile he could. "Mornin'. I was wonderin' if you could' elp me out o' bit. Where'd one go to earn a bit o' paper money?"

Her smile had faded somewhat and she regarded him as one would a rare species in a Captive Park. "I suppose that depends on what your skills are. There's an unemployment office a couple blocks down I can get you the address for. They do mostly full time placements, but also some part time stuff too."

"I sorta need a job today – got a girl to impress an' all." His grin widened at the thought of Alice, and lady behind the counter smiled briefly in spite of herself.

"They might have some day labor stuff readily available but I doubt it, not with our economy. You'd have better luck as a street performer." Her tone of voice suggested this last idea was silly, but Hatter took a liking to it the moment it hit the air. "Street Performer eh? Wat do Oyst- ah, that is residents of this 'ere city like to watch?"

Now she regarded him as the Suit had last night, as if he were slightly sideways. "Uh, Anything? Nothing? I don't know. Most people in New York ignore anything that moves, and that includes traffic. Those that do stop and watch are usually tourists, though it all depends on the place and time and act I suppose."

Time, that was one thing he'd have to work on - The sun wasn't constant as such in Wonderland, so watches didn't serve much purpose to most people – but he knew that it wasn't so here. He made a mental note to pick one up. The girl was still regarding him with a funny look, so Hatter simply tipped his hat and gave her a half bow. "Much Appreciation," Twisting 180 smartly on his heel, Hatter strode down the steps and out onto the Streets of the oyster city.

He was taken aback by how different they were during the day from the night. In Inverse City, The overcity created a perpetual twilight on the majority of layers and the streets were sparsely packed at the best of times. Here it couldn't be more different; the tall buildings lining the street still provided some shade, but the sun, rising over the park across the street illuminated vast swathes of the city in brilliant light. And the people! Dozens were walking along down the street and Hatter could see the main street that ran alongside the park had even more flowing down its sides. Cars (which Hatter affectionately referred to as Ants), passed by with surprising speed. _I think there might be more Ants on these two streets than in all of Wonderland…._

He joined the pedestrians and let the flow of traffic bear him down the street and across the road next to the Park, slipping from the sidewalk and onto a small plaza when he arrived. This seemed to be an entry to the Park, a small square paved with concrete. A small but steady trickle of people broke away from the main street and into the park. He tipped his hat to a couple who glanced his way, but they didn't seem to notice him anymore than they did anyone else. _Seems this city could do with some Tea for all the emotion it shows._

As he entered the park, Hatter discovered that it was much larger than he had first thought, spreading away from him in all directions with winding paths vanishing behind hills and into thickets of trees. People were wandering the pathways, on foot and one several different wheeled contraptions. There were already Buskers of various sorts set up along the walkways; musicians, dancers, artists and tricksters. Only a couple buskers actually drew crowds, the rest seemed to rely on the odd passerby who would stop by their hat, or open instrument case.

Hatter, spying a larger boulder to his right, hopped up onto it to try and see if he could spy a good Pitch. Confirming his second impression, the park continued north and south for at least a mile it seemed. Tall buildings surrounded the south end, but they seemed to taper off the farther north one went. Quite some distance to the south were open fields and a lake. To the east beyond a thicket of trees and winding paths, Hatter caught sight of an alcove/ resting area with a trellis that was built into a hill just above one of the walkways. It was miraculously unoccupied. _That'll be a perfect Pitch._ Jumping down the rock with a bounce in his step, Hatter started down the nearest pathway humming to himself as he headed towards the thicket.

However, he was surprised to find himself a few minutes later heading back towards the plaza he had begun at. The path had somehow brought him right back to where he started. "These New York Oysters could teach a thing or two ta Wonderlanders…." He tried a different path this time, only instead of going up the hill; it sloped downwards and followed a road through a short tunnel. Following it through, Hatter was pleased to find himself somewhere different from where he started. _Might not be where I was goin', but its progress._

"Hey You! Hat guy!" Hatter closed one eye in a cringe as he turned; a grin of foreboding on his face. Setting up instruments off to one side of the walkway were several women around Alice's age dressed in clothes not dissimilar to some Wonderland styles, like his own. Certainly their face art was similar to Hatter's personal preference, with darker areas shaded around the eyes. The one in the front, who had dark, somewhat short hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a white Tee with a loose tie hanging down the center, was watching him and he supposed was the one who called to him. The others now had paused in their work and were looking his way as well.

"So, you gonna help us out or not?" The lead woman had crossed her arms and was frowning at him. Hatter glanced around at the other pedestrians passing by, shrugged and walked over to the group of women. The one at front unfolded her arms and held out her hand. "I'm Viola, call me Vi. That's Liz, Rose and Marguerite."

"Hatter." He winced inwardly as soon as he realized, but Vi didn't seem to notice, she just nodded her head and moved over to a disassembled drum set. Hatter followed, helping her shift them into position.

For the next several minutes Hatter found himself helping set up various pieces of equipment for the women, who acted as if he had always been there. As he finished setting up the last mic, Rose walked over to him. "Did you bring your sticks? Delphi still has her mallet bag." Hatter stared back at her uncomprehendingly.

"Sorry, do I have wat now? Sticks? Why would I 'ave sticks?"

Rose stared back incredulously. "Mallets, Drum Sticks. You didn't bring your own?"

"Uh, Sorry Mate, but I'm not a drummer."

"You aren't here to sub for Delphi?" Hatter shook his head. "Sorry, don't know wat you're goin' on about."

Rose turned around towards the other members of the band. "Hey Vi – This isn't our drummer! He's just some dude!" Vi glanced from Rose to Hatter as she moved over to join the pair, staring hard at Hatter's face. "You aren't our relief Drummer?"

Hatter just smiled and wrinkled his nose. "Nope. Sorry."

"Why the hell did you stop and help us then?"

"You asked me to." Vi paused at this, mulling it over for a moment. From behind her, Liz spoke up, "He is a Brit, Vi. English sensibilities and all that."

Vi let out a short laugh and shook her head. "I doubt it. The only difference between New York and London is the skyline if you ask me. Call up Delphi and ask her where the hell her replacement is, will you?" She turned back to Hatter and held out her hand. "Well, my fine British friend. Thanks for the help. You're a rare breed, that's for sure. But we've got a Drummer to find and have wasted quite a bit of time, no offense."

"None Taken. Honest mix-up, I'm sure. Any you know 'ow to get over there?" Hatter pointed towards the area he wanted to Pitch. Rose nodded. "I think you take that path over there and then the first right branch you come to. It should take you there. It's actually pretty popular come midday, channels a lot of traffic to here."

"Brilliant, Thanks!" Hatter strode down the path he had been directed to, looking over his shoulder only once at the strange musicians who regarded him with both suspicion and thanks. Then the trees closed in and the path twisted to his right, cutting off a good view of the band. Following Rose's directions, in no time at all, Hatter found himself directly below the small alcove area he'd been trying to reach.


	3. The Lesson

**AN:** So the chapter structure has shifted slightly. Chapter 1 and 2 have been merged, so Chapter 3 is now chapter 2 and Chapters 3 & 4 are both new. Hope you Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** If you need a disclaimer past the first couple of pages please read "A Free Culture" - It pretty much covers all the bases.

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He didn't really have anything to set up, so he just hopped up the ledge and positioned himself under the trellis. A couple people glanced his way but otherwise most of the foot traffic continued to ignore him, just like the Bedkeeper had told him. He closed his eyes and took a couple calm breaths to center himself and then put on his most Cheshire smile and began to move.

Hatter wasn't a dancer per say – but performing hat tricks, which he had gotten rather good at if he was being modest, could be considered a type of dance. If you strung them together in the right order, the movements took on a definite shape and seemed to flow together. For several minutes only one in every ten at best stopped for even a moment to regard him, before hurrying onward. Finally though, a woman paused and began digging a piece of paper from her purse. Hatter, without missing a beat, flipped the hat behind his back where it rolled through the air over his head and in front of him. He stuck out his foot, catching it on the toe and flicked it upward into his outstretched hand right near the woman, all the while looking as if it took no effort at all. She gave him a small smile dropped the greenish piece of paper into the hat and moved on. Hatter also knew some sleight of hand and as he began the next hat trick, the paper found itself slipped into his pocket unseen.

Over the next hour or so, as best as Hatter could tell considering his limited experience with this world's time, there were dozen or more others who donated to his hat – some twice once they saw their money disappear as he began the next trick. Paper was not the only thing they put into his hat however - there was in fact quite a few small metal discs that they discarded as well, which Hatter assumed was another form of money. _ At least that makes a bit o' sense, using metals as trade. _

Still, Hatter didn't think it was enough if it took fifteen 'bucks' for night at a Laylow, err, Hostel. He'd made a small (by his standards) list of items he needed to acquire before he reunited with Alice. And going on a comparative scale, he was going to need a lot more than the 9 pieces of paper and 27 metal discs he'd acquired so far. He'd need to have better luck attracting donations if he was going to get close to enough.

Thankfully Hatter's luck changed sooner than he hoped. About half way through his second hour, at which point he was beginning to get tired of smiling at all the uncaring oysters, a young boy, not more than 10 or 11 yanked on his pant leg. Hatter paused his trick, tossing his hat up into the air as he dropped into a crouching position to be more on level with the kid. A woman, who he could only assume was the boy's mother stood off to one side watching him.

"Hey there mate. Watcha need?" Hatter asked as his hat landed smartly back on his head. The boy let out a little gasp and smiled. "How'd you do that?" he asked.

Hatter shrugged and grinned mysteriously. "Family secret, passed down through the generations." The boy's eyes opened wide, Hatter laughed. "Nah, Just takes a bit o' practice, is all."

"Could you teach me?"

Hatter ran his tongue over his lips as he looked at the young boy and his hopeful eyes. _ I need to keep goin' to make enough…..but I can' deny the kid, reminds me too much 'ow I looked up to Harry._

"Yeah, sure thing Mate. Hop up here and let's see what you can do. You got a hat?" The boy paused, and then shook his head. "That's alright. Here, I'll show you slowly and then give you me hat so you can try, right?"

Hatter started off with the easiest tricks he could think of; flipping the hat through ones fingers, or as one puts it on, and a couple others. The boy tried his best and by the end of a little less than an hour had managed to get a couple tricks down alright, though because the hat was too big for him, he still had a bit of difficulty. It didn't do anything to diminish the wide smile on the boy's face though.

During this time, they actually attracted a small crowd. One or two people, who were wearing hats, joined in the lessons, also trying their hands at the tricks. Finally the boy's mother moved over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Jeffery, it's time to go. We're going to be late for lunch with your dad."

Jeffery sighed and reluctantly handed Hatter his hat back. "I gotta go. Thanks mister for the lessons!" Jeffery hopped off the ledge and passed through the crowd. "Jeffery, wait there a moment." The woman opened her purse and pulled out one of the pieces of paper printed with a 20 on it and handed it to Hatter. "Thank you for taking the time. He really enjoyed it."

Hatter bowed, tipping his hat off his head and rolling it down his arm into his hand as he did so. "My pleasure. Very kind of you, mum. Thank you." The woman smiled and moved off after her son. Hatter looked to find the crowd had begun to disperse, but several people had placed disks of metal and pieces of paper on the ledge by his foot. The two who had joined in the lessons each handed Hatter paper with a 20 and 10 respectively, which he thanked them for. As the last of the crowd wandered away, Hatter collected the rest of the paper and metal and over to a tree to sit down. He began sorting out the money, trying to figure out exactly how much he was working with.

The paper money added up to 76 'bucks', or dollars as it was written on the paper itself, and the disks added up to 593 cents and 5 dollars. He wasn't sure how much a cent was worth, but it had to be substantially less than a dollar considering how freely they were given away, and the name suggested percent, so he was betting it took a hundred. Hatter grinned regardless, he thought now that he'd have enough to start on that list of his. First things first though, he wanted to check in on Alice. But he'd have to find where they took her first. Putting away his new found wealth, Hatter moved back onto the path and waved at the first person he saw; a woman in a red jogging outfit with a sweat band around her temples. She stopped, pulled earplugs on cords out of her ears and looked at him suspiciously. "You need something?"

"Yes, sorry. Where's the nearest 'ospital to 'ere?"

She frowned, thought a moment and then pointed out of the park. "St Luke's is probably the Closest. Its over on Amsterdam Avenue. Mt. Sinai is across the park, but 97th street goes straight through, so it's pretty direct; it'd be second I think.

"Brilliant, and ah, 'ow do I get there?"

The Red clad woman thought for a moment, staring off past Hatter. "First. If you take this path, it should lead to the edge of the park. Second, Go south to the 96th street station and take the subway up to 110th street. Third, just follow Cathedral west until you hit Amsterdam. Fourth, Go north down Amsterdam and you'll hit it in two or three blocks I think."

Hatter couldn't resist, "Fifth, have a nice day, I suppose?" The woman glared at him, plugged her ears once more and jogged off into the park, vanishing from sight. "Wonder if they all count out their directions here. That's just mad." Hatter shook his head and started in the direction the woman had pointed; grinning as he pondered the weird world he'd found himself in.


	4. The Train

**AN: ** Chapter 3 & 4 are both new chapters due to reorganization of the story - so please go back and read the New chapter 3 if you haven't already done so. As always, Reviews and critiques are welcomed.

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In very short order, Hatter found himself back out on the busy street that ran parallel to the park. He nimbly stepped through the crowd, slipping past the pedestrians who had since his last appearance on this road turned into a rather formidable mob. A couple minutes after entering the river of people, Hatter was being swept down a staircase and into the ground. The sounds of above became muffled only to be replaced by new sounds echoing up from deeper in. And the scents in the air changed, becoming more pungent.

A Wall of bars reared up on Hatters left as the crowd that carried him here started to disperse, heading through several gates located in the prison-cell like wall and walking down the hall on the other side. Hatter's eyes flicked from the little piece of paper that they put into one side of the gate before passing through it to the large machines standing just behind him and the lines of people waiting for their turn at them. The jump of logic was surprisingly simple.

"Guess I need a ticket." Hatter slipped into the line in front of the nearest machine. It wasn't a long line thankfully, and most people just moved steadily by, without even stopping at the machines – most of them already seemed to have the short yellow tickets needed.

The woman in front of him moved up to the machine and Hatter took a step forward, his thoughts slowly meandering out of his grasp. The sound of the underground swept over him once more and he found himself astounded at the sort of acoustic chaos Oysters put up with. Wonderland was peaceful and quiet compared to the oyster city. A nudge behind him brought his attention around to the fact that the machine was now vacant and Hatter hopped over to it, quickly glancing over the buttons and screen. He wasn't familiar with oyster tech, but it seemed straight forward enough. It didn't take him long to get the machine to offer him a 1 day unlimited Metro Card; which he guessed was what the yellow tickets were. It was another confirmation that 1 buck or dollar was not worth much, as it took 8 of them and 25 cents to get the Card, which shot out of a small slot on the machine.

Taking the card, Hatter rejoined the throngs headed deeper in and when he got to the gate, slid it into the slot. The gate chimed and showed a green arrow so Hatter pushed through the turnstile. His card popped up on the other side and he grabbed it before entering the tunnel beyond.

The tunnel led to a platform elevated above two sets of rails which ran parallel to it. Another platform sat on the opposite side of the tracks, also filled with people. The place was poorly lit and ill kept. Hatter wrinkled his nose and frowned. It reminded him strongly of the Discard District of the lower city. Not a place he liked to visit, that's why he had Ratty after all. A rumbling filled the station, followed by a point of light down one of the track tunnels. People began moving towards the edge of the platform. Hatter kept walking, until he was at the far end, where few people stood. A dull metal train had entered the station now, squealing as it slowed down. A Big C in a blue circle was painted on its side. As it finally came to a stop, the doors in the side slid open, and Hatter stepped through the nearest one.

Inside, the lighting was just as bad as on the platform but in a completely different unpleasant way. Steel poles were spaced down the center of the car while plastic seats hugged the walls. There were only half a dozen people in this one, most sitting. Hatter moved across the aisle and slipped onto one of the rigid seats, shifting uncomfortably against the cold plastic. Several other people followed him into the car and began spreading throughout it. A Woman (one of the Ratty-like people which during Hatter's time in the park he learned were called bums), sat down across from him. He gave her a smile, which she hesitantly returned, as if unsure what it meant.

After a moment the doors to the car slid shut and the train began pulling away. Darkness filled the windows and all sense of where one was seemed to drift away. Only the constant pull of acceleration, accented most when the train turned, proved to Hatter that they were indeed getting somewhere. Noticing a map hanging on the wall, Hatter hopped up and moved over to it, examining it more closely. It was easy to identify the park he had been in, and from there, the Blue line associated with C.

The train slowed down and the darkness beyond the window suddenly was replaced with another poorly lit station, the number 96 flashing in the tile mosaics along the walls. Hatter stepped backwards away from the doors as people moved to get off, and even more got on. Snippets of conversations, barely audible over the din out in the station reached his ears, though he didn't know what to make of them.

"….Don't keep her waiting, her time is worth a thousand bucks a minute…."

"…Send him back as luggage…"

"…doesn't even know her own name…"

The train started moving again and Hatter sat down once more on the plastic seat, rubbing his temples. "All these conversations, nuthin' but noise. Can't even hear one think. Makes ya' wish you were somewhere else…."

"You might make a joke on that – something about anywhere but here…." Said a quiet voice, barely audible through the din. In fact the only reason hatter heard it at all was because it came from the seat next to him. Glancing to his right, he saw the Ratty woman from when he first got on.

"Sorry? Wat?"

For such a small woman, she heaved a mighty sigh and shook her head, seeming rather depressed. Before Hatter could enquire further, the train slowed down once more – this time at a station which the mosaics proclaimed to be 103. A dozen or so people left the car only to be replaced by one and a half times that. It was actually getting somewhat crowded. Hatter stood and gave his seat to an elderly man who had entered the car and only just managed to grab onto one of the center poles before the car lurched into movement once more.

He glanced at the small woman in the dirty clothing. She was staring at him through large circular glasses which made her eyes seem widely out of proportion to her face. They looked to be older than the woman wearing them and were patched in several places with different types of tape. There was something familiar about her, but he just couldn't place what.

Finally she spoke again. "I know you. You're a friend, right? And you won't hurt me even if I am an oyster?"

Hatter stared at her dumfounded. "How'd you know that term? Do I know you?"

"What, then you don't –"

The train screeched and lurched slightly as it pulled into 110th street station. The Small woman grabbed several plastic bags, and moved towards the door, seemingly forgetting the conversation she had started with Hatter. He paused a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened, and then headed out the doors behind her, letting the crowd push him onwards and outwards into the mostly fresh air and bright light of the outdoors.

Hatter smiled, adjusted his hat and started down the street only to stop once he realized he didn't actually know what direction he should be walking in. As he turned in place, he saw the ratty-like figure from the train, sitting down on the sidewalk. _Where do I know 'er from? Or rather where does she know me? _Slipping between the commuters entering and leaving the station, Hatter moved towards the woman, crouching down when he reached her and giving her his second best smile. " 'Scuse me, Miss, but wat's your name?"

The woman looked around her as if not believing that someone was actually talking to her. Finally she turned back to Hatter. "Err, it's Natty." She paused, glanced around her once more and then back at Hatter. "Please sir, don't take me back there. They only just let me go. Don't remember much, honest."

Hatter snapped his fingers, which startled Natty and caused her to shift herself over a couple feet. That was where he recognized her from – she'd been in the Looking Glass room when he'd said goodbye to Alice. One of the Oysters to be sent back.

"No worries 'bout that luv." He fished one of the 5 dollar pieces of paper and offered it to her. Natty looked at skeptically for a moment before snatching it out of his hand. "Don't suppose you know which way to the 'ospital?"

She pointed down the street in the opposite direction from where he had been about to go. "Thanks." Hatter stood up, dusted off his knees and started walking, idly playing with his hat while he did so.


End file.
